Shepherd back in the fold
Shepherd back in the fold
Tuesday, 12 June 2007 @ 4:31 PM
sportal.com.au
Injured Western Force fullback Cameron Shepherd has joined the Australia A squad in Sydney ahead of Saturday's Pacific Nations Cup clash with the Junior All Blacks in Dunedin.
Shepherd returned to the field on Saturday for his Sydney club side Northern Suburbs, eight weeks after a knee injury ended his Super 14 season with the Western Force.
The 23-year-old admits he pulled up sore after the match but is willing to push through the pain in his quest for selection in the Wallabies World Cup squad.
"It's definitely not back at 100 per cent yet but it's going to take a bit of time to get back there, I'm feeling pretty confident on it at the moment … hopefully it just keeps coming along," Shepherd said.
Shepherd, who made his Wallaby debut against England in June 2006, admits watching the action from the stands has been tough but says he is confident his World Cup dream can still become a reality.
"I know that when I get on the field and I'm at 100 per cent I've definitely got a good chance of making the squad and being in the Wallaby team," Shepherd said.
"It was very hard to sit on the sidelines and miss out on playing those few games, especially being such an important year, I've really missed a little bit of a window to put my foot forward for a World Cup place."
The versatile Shepherd will create a welcome headache for Wallaby selectors in the coming weeks, as he presses his selection claims at either wing or fullback, but the man himself is willing to be flexible.
"Whether I get picked on the wing or fullback I'd just be happy to be in the A's or the Wallaby side, (but) if I did have the choice I'd probably prefer to be at 15," Shepherd said.
With just the one club game under his belt after the injury, Shepherd knows he faces a big test on if selected against the Juniors, but is confident he - and his knee - are up to the challenge if selected.
"If I want to get back in the Wallaby squad this is the sort of standard that I've got to be ready to play at," he said.
"So I think it's going to be a good test not only for me mentally but my knee and hopefully everything comes through."
